Vote for the Baltimore Ravens’ Game of the Year for the 2024 season.
The 2024-2025 NFL season is complete, but before the chapter is closed, we want a final look at the joys that came from the Baltimore Ravens’ season.
So, let’s celebrate the successes by handing out our second-annual Baltimore Beatdown Awards. Today, we continue with Game of the Year.
Beatdown contributors will offer up our nominees, but the winner is ultimately decided by you, the reader, with a poll at each article’s end.
Baltimore Beatdown’s Game of the Year
Kyle Phoenix: Ravens vs. Bengals Week 10 | 35-34
A game of high-octane madness unfolded in Baltimore on Thursday Night Football. The Ravens entered 6-3 while the Bengals hoped to claw back into the fray at 4-5. In a blow-for-blow bout between two juggernaut offenses, the Ravens came out on top in a one-point win.
Jackson hung four touchdowns on the Bengals, completing them to Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace, Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman. Entering the second half, the Ravens were down 14-7. Then, after a quick failed drive on offense and a one-play, 67-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase, they faced a 21-7 deficit.
The Ravens’ offense went on a tear, scoring touchdowns on four straight possessions to bury the Bengals and complete the fierce comeback. Among them was the 84-yard touchdown from Tylan Wallace where he spun out of a tackle, tight-roped the left sideline and stiff-armed two more defenders en route to the end zone for a “this is far from over” response.
Along with this game being exhilarating, it was defensively diabolical. Chase finished with 264 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The defense was nightmarishly out of sorts and after such a win, Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr shared he felt “crushed” and “hurt” after the win. He was in the building early the next morning attempting to solve their issues and they did so. The defense from Week 11 on was one of the best in the NFL.
Nikhil Mehta: Ravens @ Texans Week 17 | 31-2
The Ravens put together several impressive wins in 2024, but few were as complete as their Christmas Day shellacking of the Texans. The final scoreline of 31-2 tells the whole story: dominant, complementary football on both sides of the ball. Baltimore’s offense didn’t face a third down on their opening drive to take the lead, and the defense stuffed the Texans for three straight punts. Still, Houston was heating up with a safety and a drive deep into Ravens territory before Ar’Darius Washington literally reversed the momentum with a touchdown-saving tackle. The offense responded with a 99-yard touchdown drive to set up a 17-2 lead at halftime. Baltimore’s complementary football defined the second half as well, starting with highlight plays from two of their best players: a Kyle Hamilton interception followed by a 48-yard touchdown run from Lamar Jackson. The defense forced another three-and-out, and Jackson and Henry accounted for 61 of the Ravens’ 62 yards on their next drive to take a commanding 31-2 lead. The Ravens put together two more drives of at least five minutes and 30 seconds to ice the game in the fourth quarter as a desperate Texans offense couldn’t find anything downfield.
If none of this is impressive enough, consider that this was the Ravens’ third game in 11 days (albeit against a similarly exhausted Texans squad). Despite being forced to spend Christmas away from their homes and families, every player up and down the roster contributed to the season’s signature win.
Joshua Reed: Ravens vs. Steelers Week 16 | 34-17
This was the most vindicating and therapeutic win of the entire season. The Ravens had lost eight of the last nine previous meetings with their archrivals including each of the last four heading into this massive matchup. The Steelers would have secured the AFC North crown in M&T Bank Stadium with a win. Instead, the Ravens were able to successfully defend their home turf, clinch a playoff berth and keep their hopes of repeating as division champions alive. It was a milestone night for Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers who reached 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career as well as Pro Bowl outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy whose 1.5 sacks set a new career high and propelled him to the double-digit club for the first time.
While the final box score shows a lopsided result, it was a one-score game through the first three quarters. The Ravens were able to pull away in the end and double up on the scoreboard thanks to a clutch 37-yard pick-six interception return from two-time First Team All Pro Marlon Humphrey for his first career touchdown and what was essentially the death knell for the Steelers. The play symbolized the official turning of the tide of this storied rivalry in favor of the Ravens. They welcomed the Steelers back to Baltimore for a rubber match in the wildcard round and dashed their hopes of making a deep playoff run in demoralizing fashion 28-14.
Zach Canter: Ravens @ Bengals Week 5 | 41-38
Arguably the wildest game of the Ravens season and one of the best in the 2024 NFL season. It included a two MVP-caliber quarterbacks going shot for shot, big offensive plays, late game heroics, and late game botches. An overtime near-catastrophe but ended up being a signature win on the season to put the Ravens above .500 for the first time in 2024.The Ravens started hot, scoring on their opening drive then holding the Bengals to a three-and-out on their first drive. The Ravens then only scored one more before the end of the half. Lamar Jackson was shaky the first half, missing some open throws. It was also a day where Derrick Henry was bottled up. He went under 3.0 yards a carry on 14 attempts the first four quarters, including getting tackled for a safety in the second quarter.. The Raven defense let up a long touchdown early in the second quarter but seemingly was holding Burrow in check, forcing four punts in the Bengals first five drives. Then suddenly, with only 34 seconds remaining in the half and on the Bengals 21 yard line, the Bengals went 79 yards in 25 seconds to put the Bengals up. Then the Bengals opened the second half with a touchdown, going up 24-14. That’s where the fireworks truly started.
The Ravens and Bengals would exchange six total touchdowns drives, the Bengals going up by 10 then the Ravens answering to cut the lead to three, each time. Neither defense seemingly having an answer for the other’s offense. Ja’Marr Chase went for nearly 200 yards and Tee Higgins went for nearly 100, flying all over the Ravens defense. Jackson, after going 9-for-17 in the first half (53%), went nuclear in the second half, going 16-for-23 (69.5%). The last touchdown of the half put the Ravens within three points once more turning the score 38-35 Bengals. It was also the most impressive touchdown on the game, arguably the best play in the NFL this season, and will be one of the Hall of Fame clips shown for Lamar Jackson.
ONLY LAMAR. WOW.
: #BALvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+
: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/KenO7criwG— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024
Unfortunately, it left plenty of time left on the clock for Burrow and the Bengals to respond and extend the lead again. Only instead, 30 yards from pay dirt, Burrow made his true mistake of the day and Ravens defense got their first stop of the second half with Marlon Humphrey securing the game saving interception. The Ravens managed to hit a field goal to send the game to overtime. The Ravens got the ball first and looked to be ready to end the game the way the offense was humming. Instead, Jackson botched a snap, the Bengals recovered it and had the ball past midfield. All that was needed was a field goal and the Bengals had it. I remember sending my post game recap and feeling utterly dejected to lose such a thriller. The Bengals proceeded to run the ball three times for three yards, which made it a long field goal. And instead of it being a game-winner, the holder botched the snap and missed wide left! The utter shock I felt left me speechless. Derrick Henry then ripped his longest run of the game going for 51 yards down the left sideline to six yard line for more than doubling his total yardage. The Ravens hit 24 yarder, winning the thriller and stealing a road game from a divisional opponent.